Liquid tank



Oct. 25, 1938, J. EzLLIG ET AL,

LI QUID TANK Filed May 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l f INVENTORS i Nr MN TQ N\, m.

TTORNEY.

03.251938., @BMG ET AL Y 2,134,678

LIQUID TANK Filed May 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` fr l j'. INVENTGRS /3 /6 (/46'05 5//,

katented- Oct'.4 25, 1938 hmrao STATE N, lio,"- a corporation smut-anon May t, i935,

as when taking off and landing the aeroplane.'

Fuel tanks must withstand severe internal and external pressure Without failure or leakage, as, for example, during a steep glide or dive. This, oi course, is acceleratedby the sudden impact arising from the changing angles or positions of the aeroplane.

it will, therefore, be readily appreciated that aeroplane tanks of the usual construction, owing to the fact that they are formed of a great number of separate sections or units, secured by rivetfor instance, against ing, when subjected to the above mentioned strains, very frequently become loosened at their seams, resulting in fuel leakage, and very disastrous results. j

bviously, when a fuel tank of this type is constructed in a number of sections, these sections must necessarily be individually ribbed or braced, necessitating a structure of -considerable weight,

to say nothing' of' the structural weakness at the joints 'of riveting.

To overcome the above and other disadvantages incidental to fuel tanks of this particular type, our invention consists in the design and novel arrangement of a shell, formed preferably of a unitarythickness of sheet metal, and provided with longitudinally extending crimped portions or tracks which extend the entire length of the shell or casing and are oppositely disposed and inwardly extended for the purpose of forming paralleltracks. Each of these tracks is back wardly bent upon itself to form a hook in crosssection; by reason of the fract that theyA extend the entire length of vthe tank, the tracks provide an extremely'eiient bacing means for the shell orcasingof the fuel tank. These longitudif nai 4tracks also provide interlocking means ior mlyfAj-'supporting and securing horizontally disosetlA plates in the tank against accidental disacement after they have -been sealed into the fuel tank .at'lassembly These horizontal plates are likewise providedwith backwardly bent portions for snugly longitudinal tracks, thereby' giving added rigidity and support for effectually bracing the fuel tank,

Verticallydisposed baiiie walls in the tankare eachvprovide'd with an angularly bent rim or dang d'adapted'snugly to fit the interior of the shel -not only for firmly supportingthe fuel tank to retain it in its piep-er position but for mate--A rially reenforclng Vit completely around the periphery thereof.

By psoglgmg thepruuon plates with angu- PATE',

MQW TANK ...nett amig warmup s. amig, anni, I l signers to breeze Corporation,` l nc.,"

mating with and fltting tire internal and external strains.4

semi solyiimr s larly bent dangesfwe may economically rivet each adjacent pair to its contiguous baille wall.

The opposite ends of these partition `plates or those aligning with the o ter or open ends of the fuel tank are provided wi h backwardly bent and reenforced channels or tracks for permitting the sliding of the ends into their proper position, thereby rendering the fuel tank in condition for the pfinal weldlng of the end walls to the edges of the casing. I 1

it `will, therefore, `be readily understood that a iuel tank is formed in which a minimum Anumber of different sections are employed. these sections being assembled Without the aid of special tools, without necessity for any previous v-skill or` training, and in a minimumamount of time.

The present invention is directed primarily to the novel construction of a fuel tank as disclosed, and is not concerned with the accessories or the operation thereof.

It is an important advantage of the present invention that it is simply and economically constructed and maintained without the necessity of repairs or replacement, 4owing primarily to its rigid and braced construction and to the elimination of any riveting to the shell or casing thereof. I Other objects of this invention will hereinafter be set iorth, or will be apparent from the descriptionand the drawings, in which is illustrated an exemplication of the invention as applied for different purposes. a

The invention, howevenis not intended to be restricted to any particular construction or arrangement of parts, or to any particular application thereof, or to any specific manner of use, or to any of various details, shown or described, as the same may be modified in various particu- Y lars, or be applied in many varied relations, withiii out departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, the exemplilication herein being merely to show Vactual means by which the invention mightbe enectuated.

On the drawings, in which the same reference' characters renier tothe same parts throughout, and in which is disclosed such exempliflcation:

Figure l is a view in side elevation, partially broken away and shown' in section, of a fuel tank. constructed in accordance with "our invention Figure 2 is an endview of the tank shown in Figure l, with that end plate indicated by the arrow and the numeral 2 in Figure l'removed;

Figure 31s a similar view of a portion cfa fuel tank, illustrating another embodiment of our invention;

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of one of the This invention, in the forms or embodiments -zontally extending partition plates I2, and comfor the purpose of engaging the U-shaped extreme edge I1 of the baille wall 25. 'I'he horizontal portion of this track member 26 may be riveted to the` partition plate I2, as indicated at bined interlocking and reenforcement means I 3. 21

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 4,

-there, is disclosed an elongated fuel tank substantially rectangular in cross-section, although it is to be understood thatfuel tanks of this nature may be formed of a great number of various shapes or designs. In this instance, however, the fuel tank is substantially rectangular in crosssection, and each of the side walls have formed therein two longitudinally extending crimped portions which extend from one extreme end of the casing or wrapper I0 to the other end thereof. Each of these crimped portions or combined interlocking and reenforcement means is preferably integrally formed from the casing by a horizontally extending neck portion I4, which is curved or bent, as at I5,-to provide a backwardly bent portion I6 extending to a point -relatively close to the respective'side wall from which it has been formed. These crimped portions, it will be noted, are substantially U-shaped in crosssection and are adapted fox" sliding and interlocking engagement with the substantially similarly formed U-shaped side edges I'I,of horizontal partition plates I2.

In order to present the maximum amount of rigidity to these beaded or U-shaped edges I1, the crimped portion is formed of two layersrthat is to say, the metal of the partition is extended in an outward direction, as indicated at I8, then is rounded, as at I9, and then is provided with an -inwardly bent portion 20. The sheet metal is now backwardly bent upon itself to conform ,to the contour of the outer layer or thickness, terminating at free edge 2|. This .construction is clearly illustrated in Figure lent results have been obtained by forming the outer and inner sections of these interlocking U- shaped members to llt snugly `with respect to each other so that there will be a minimum amount of tliilay therebetween when in their assembled posi- The vertically extending baille plates are preferably formed with an angularly bent rim or flange 22 designed to fit snugly adjacent the inner surface of the casing or wrapper I0. This baille Wallis provided -with cut-out portions 22' slightly larger than the interlocking means I3 for a reason hereinafter to be understood.

For the purpose of securely mounting the partition plates I2 with' respect to the baille walls II,

member 28 4 of the drawings. Excel-.

" has also been found highly In the embodiment of the invention `shown in Figure 5, the casing I0 is bent in an inward direction, as already described, but, instead of providing a backwardly bent portion, it is merely bent at a substantially right angle. In this instance, the partition plate I2 is extended to the inner surface of the casing I0 and backwardly bent at` this point to conform to the angular shape just described and to terminate with a free edge 28.

Figure ,6 illustrates a substantially T-shaped construction for the interlocking means I3, in which instance a pair of oppositely disposed, elongated portions 29 and 30 are formed from the sheet metal of the casing or wrapper I0. The partitionplate or wall would be of double thickness up to the point of contact with the portions 29 and 30 where they would bezbent as shown at 3| for the purpose of snugly fitting the T-shaped member. Rivets 32 may be employed for securely fastening the pair of plates comprising the partition plate.

In Figure 7 we have disclosed a somewhat similar form of the invention wherein one of the interlocking members is provided with a T-shaped head 33, and the female portion of the interlocking means is formed from the casing or wrapper I0. In this instance, also, theplates 34 may be securely held together by means of rivets, spot welding or the like.

Having described the construction of the several details of our invention, the operation thereof will now be readily understood. For the purpose of preventing the marring or scatching of the interior of the fuel tank, it has been found highly desirable to assemble it in sections, that is to say, one of the baffle Walls is initially slid into its proper position within the casing or Wrapper I0, and then a pair of partition plates are properly located and riveted. 'I'hese steps are, of course, repeated until the interior has been completely assembled. 'I'he end plates 35 are now slid in a sidewise direction co-acting locking means or crimped portion I3 until they are in proper alignment and completely enclose the walls of the casing or wrapper- I0. The fuel tank is now ready forthe welding operation which is, of course, accomplished in the usual manner.

It will now be readily appreciated that a fuel tank of this construction, although containing no JACOB B ILmG. l PHILIP J. BILLIG.

upon their horizontal 

